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What does “good enough” actually mean for designers now?
Designers must resist the 'fidelity trap' by defining 'good enough' work based on the specific decision it needs to unlock.
What: In an era of high-speed AI generation, designers face pressure to over-polish work; the author advocates for matching output fidelity to the intended outcome, such as early feedback or final approval.
Why it matters: AI has lowered the cost of creating 'finished' looking artifacts, leading to wasted effort if those artifacts are used to make decisions that only required low-fidelity sketches.
Decoder
- Fidelity: The degree of detail and realism represented in a design, ranging from wireframe (low) to polished prototype (high).
Original article
AI has raised expectations for speed and visual polish, creating a “fidelity trap” where designers feel pressure to make every artifact look finished even when rougher work would better support the decision at hand. A practical definition of “good enough” starts by identifying what the work needs to unlock—such as a usability test, engineering estimate, design direction, or leadership approval—and applying only enough fidelity to achieve that goal. Clear quality criteria can help teams know both when work isn't ready and when to stop, preserving human judgment as AI compresses more of the design process.
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